Lord Voldemort
Lord Voldemort, (born as Tom Marvolo Riddle), or simply Voldemort is the main antagonist of the Harry Potter book and film franchise. He is a very powerful Dark Wizard and the Dark Lord of the Death Eaters; who aims to take over the wizarding world and shape it following his supremacist views. He made himself the archenemy of the main protagonist Harry Potter after trying to kill him, having learnt that he would grow into a threat. Backstory Tom's family on his mother Merope's side were the last of the House of Gaunt; an ancient and formerly wealthy wizarding family that was noted for producing individuals with violent and unstable personalities due to generations of inbreeding. Because of the family's liking for grandeur in tandem with little sensibility at their indulgences meant the family gold was left in ashes long before the last of the lineage was born. His grandfather Marvolo Gaunt and his uncle Morfin Gaunt were two of the last known male descendants of Slytherin. Tom's father Tom Riddle Snr was a wealthy Muggle living in the village of Little Hangleton, near the Gaunt shack, who was tricked into a relationship with Merope through probable use of a love potion. After some time, it is speculated by Albus Dumbledore that Merope discontinued her use of love potions on Tom, in the hopes that he had really fallen in love with her, or would at least stay for their child's sake. To Merope's great sorrow, he abandoned her and their unborn child. Tom Marvolo Riddle was born on 31 December, 1926 at Wool's Orphanage in London. His pure-blood mother, Merope Gaunt staggered to the door of the orphanage, had Tom born in there, and died shortly after his birth. Tom Riddle grew up in a dingy orphanage, completely unaware of his wizarding heritage. Since the Muggle orphanage staff did not know anything about his mother, they did not know about his magical background. Instead, they believed that Merope was a circus worker, as Mrs Cole told Albus Dumbledore shortly before his first meeting with Tom. It is unknown whether or not the orphanage staff relayed this to Tom before his first encounter with Dumbledore. Despite his ignorance of his mother's true background, Tom did have some grasp on his abilities beyond that of normal magical children of his same age, however, and an unusually high degree of control over them. Tom could move objects with his mind and cause them to travel floating wherever he wished, manipulate animals and creatures as he wished, speak Parseltongue, and use his power to inflict harm on other orphans. After getting into a fight with fellow orphan Billy Stubbs, he used his powers to hang the boy's rabbit from the rafters. On one occasion, he took two orphans, Dennis Bishop and Amy Benson, into a cave, where he performed an act so horrifying that the two orphans were traumatised into silence. Young Tom Riddle also stole from other orphans and hid their things in his cupboard like trophies. Albus Dumbledore later stopped him from this hobby and warned him that Hogwarts does not tolerate thievery. When Tom was eleven, Albus Dumbledore, the transfiguration teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, talked to Mrs Cole first, who informed him of how unusual Tom was, sharing tales of his extraordinary influence over the other children. When Dumbledore was at last introduced to the boy, Tom at first believed him to be a doctor or psychiatrist of some sort, come to take him to an asylum because of what the orphanage staff had seen.He was convinced after Dumbledore demonstrated his power by using a Flame-Freezing Charm on Tom's cupboard, and when he revealed that Hogwarts was a school for people with magic, which Tom realised his abilities were. At a very early age, it was clear that Tom displayed a desire to be different and set apart from others (as it was hinted when he mentioned his dislike of his own name, because it was such a common name). He was not surprised at all upon being informed by Dumbledore that he was a wizard — he was, in fact, eager to believe that he had special gifts that no one else had. Tom also showed an eminent fear of death, considering it a human weakness. He claimed that his mother could not have been a witch, because if she was magical, then she would have been able to avoid dying, and thought his father was a wizard. Tom's abuse of his wizarding powers alarmed Albus. He resolved to keep a close eye on him, something he should have done in any case, seeing as he was "alone and friendless". Dumbledore also warned Tom that at Hogwarts he would be introduced to the laws that controlled the usage of magic in the wizarding world, and that law-breakers were punished with severity not by Hogwarts but the Ministry of Magic. Riddle's demeanour changed after Dumbledore reprimanded him; he became more guarded and shielded his reactions. Dumbledore provided Riddle with enough information to find Diagon Alley and Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. Professor Dumbledore also provided Tom Riddle with a stipend from school funds so that he could purchase his books, equipment and so on. Travelling on his own to Diagon Alley, Riddle bought some second-hand robes and spell books for himself, along with his wand-thirteen and a half inches; yew; phoenix feather core — at Ollivander's. Garrick Ollivander later said that the wand was very powerful; Voldemort was very pleased with it until the wand failed him during his confrontation with Harry Potter in the Little Hangleton graveyard, many years later. Riddle also mentioned that he was a Parselmouth, which surprised Dumbledore. Personality Physical Appearance Appearances Films ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone ''Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets ''Harry Potter and the Prisioner of Azkaban'' ''Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire'' ''Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix'' ''Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince'' ''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1'' ''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2'' Video games Relationships Quotes Gallery Trivia Category:Harry Potter characters Category:Characters Category:Humans Category:Antagonists Category:Villains Category:Wizards Category:Creatures Category:Shapeshifters Category:Deceased characters Category:Harry Potter (film series) Category:Harry Potter Category:Magic users Category:Live-action characters